I can understand where the teacher is coming from actually...
Digital art is essentially an extension of traditional art. Certainly it can all be done without a knowledge of physical art, but I'll bet if you asked the top digital artists whether they first use dummies, they'll all say yes.
There's a pretty generally accepted reason for this and while I don't understand it completely, I've used it to my advantage a number of times.
Your brain and your reality are essentially physical entities and as such, information is filtered through in a physical manner. Creativity blossoms with physical stimulation.
Not to mention the fact that, beyond web design (and you could argue that a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor are physical extensions of the field), digital design has a physical product at some point and its important to work with those products in a hands-on way before completely abandoning them.
Similarly, in order to get a bachelor's of any degree, you have to take general education courses. These are there to broaden your world view and create a standard of knowledge that your degree represents. This is all in hopes that this broadened view will contribute, at least in a small way, to your concentration.
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